This invention refers, as indicated by its title, to improvements made to the anti-finger-catching systems for doors and windows that involve fitting sections made of elastic materials to the edges of the frame and to the moving leaves that make up the door or window system in order to achieve elastic surfaces that prevent fingers from being injured in the event of their getting caught between the frame and the corresponding leaf.
Noteworthy in the prior art of the invention is Patent of Invention 9501740 by the same applicant, which describes an improved anti-finger-catching door-and-frame system. That system involves placing some strips or sections of rubber along the edges of the doors and their frames in such a way that if the moving leaf is unexpectedly closed and catches the hand or fingers of a user, the latter are not injured.
That invention also envisages the use of specially-designed hinges enabling the section to be fitted all the way along the frame and the door-leaf.
That invention proposes attaching the sections made of elastic material to the vertical edges of the door and to the frame as well, said sections being of a substantially prismatic, rectangular shape.
Though perfectly fulfilling its mission of preventing fingers from getting caught when the door closes unexpectedly, that system has certain drawbacks as regards the tightness of the closing and the fitting of a door-fastening mechanism to keep the leaf closed.
The problems for the fastening mechanism stem precisely from the larger distance that results between the facing edges of the frame and the leaf owing to the thickness of the elastic sections fitted on them.
At present, as a solution to this problem, the elastic sections are removed from the zones of the frame and the openable leaf that are used for mounting the fastening mechanism. For the fastening system to be able to fasten the leaf to the frame in the closed position, supplementary parts have to be added to the zones of the frame and leaf from which lengths of the flexible sections have been removed, the fastening mechanism then being mounted on those supplementary parts.
This solution is not satisfactory since there is still a risk of fingers getting caught by the bolt in the zone of the fastening mechanism.
European patent EP0132842 also describes a construction for the articulated connection of two pivoting door or window elements: it describes a hinge suitably adapted to leave sufficient distance between the back edges of the frame and the leaf to allow for fitting elastic sections that prevent fingers from being caught in that zone, i.e. in the hinged sides of the frame and leaf. However, this invention does not offer any solution for fitting elastic sections along the front sides of the door or window, i.e. in the sides that do not have hinges but that must have a mechanism enabling the leaf to be held closed.
The anti-finger-catching system for doors and windows that is the subject matter of this invention contributes special construction features whose purpose is to allow the fitting of elastic sections not only on the hinged sides of the leaf and frame but also on the opposite sides, a fastening mechanism having been devised for this that can be fitted on the moving leaf of the door or window without having to cut the elastic section fitted on the leaf, and without needing to attach any supplementary part of any kind on the leaf.
Furthermore, this fastening mechanism includes a retractable bolt designed to prevent fingers accidentally from being caught by the bolt.
The fastening mechanism of this invention includes a box casing that is fitted recessed in an opening made for the purpose in the moving leaf, and a bolt which can move longitudinally in the box.
The bolt has a rear portion that is housed inside the box, an intermediate stop, and a front portion whose length is greater than the thickness of the elastic section fitted on the front edge of the leaf. This feature allows the front portion of the bolt to reach its closed position regardless of whether it is a latch bolt for sliding doors or whether it is a running bolt for hinged leaves.
The bolt of this invention has, in its rear portion, a longitudinal slot allowing the passage of a transversal driver connect to the handles or knobs used for operating the fastening mechanism.
This slot enables the bolt to be moved longitudinally towards the rear zone of the box when its front end is pushed inwards.
Thus, in the event of the front end of the bolt coming into contact accidentally with the fingers or hand of a user resting his fingers or hand on the frame, the bolt would automatically recede, no harm arising for the user.
To allow the bolt to recede, an opening of sufficient size to allow it to pass through is provided at the back of the box of the fastening mechanism.
A spring is fitted inside the box which acts on the back of the box and on the intermediate stop of the bolt, tending to keep the bolt in its forward position in which the driver attached to the knob for operating the fastening mechanism makes contact with the rear end of the bolt""s slot, thus enabling the bolt to recede sufficiently far back to pass from a closed to an open position when the driver is moved by the use of one of the knobs.
To achieve optimum operation of this fastening mechanism, the frame in the zone opposite the fastening mechanism mounted on the leaf is to have a supplementary piece with the opening for receiving the bolt. This supplement is of a thickness that is substantially equal to the thickness of the elastic section fitted on the frame. In order to eliminate that elastic section entirely, which would leave said supplementary piece exposed, the elastic section has an opening in its rear wall in the zone facing the supplementary piece, the opening being of a shape that is analogous to the shape of the supplementary piece, and there being an opening in the front wall of sufficient size to allow the bolt to go through. Hence the supplementary piece is recessed in the elastic section joined to the frame, and it is protected by that section.